Wingborn (17 page)

“
You’
ve got the exams yet,
”
Harlan warned as the students clinked
their beakers.
“
Winter
isn
’
t the worst of
it.
”

“
Exams,
pah!” Corin scoffed. “I’
ve heard you can sleep through them
and still pass.
”

“And yet a
handful of people fail each year,” Harlan said, smiling slyly at
his cousin.

“
Why are
you looking at me?” Mouse queried nervously. “
Do you think
I
’
ll fail? I
’
m not going to fail, am I? Gods,
what if I do? What
’
ll I
do? I can
’
t
fail!
”

“Stop it.”
Corin whacked Harlan on the arm, while Derrain pulled Mouse into a
rough hug.

“
Take no
notice of him,” Dhori advised. “You’
ll be fine.
”

“
You
think so?” Mouse quivered, peeping over Derrain’
s arm.

“I know so,”
Mhysra assured him, raising her cider in a toast. “To Mouse’s
glorious future!”

“To Mouse!”
the others agreed, and he looked as pleased as if he’d graduated
from Aquila already. Not even Harlan could bring himself to drag
him down again.

BY THE TIME
the new
year passed, the remaining students seemed set to stay, with
fifteen boys and four girls. Milluqua was delighted, keeping her
sister informed about the current betting and how much
she
’
d won thanks to
Mhysra
’
s resilience. Yet
despite the feeling of belonging that had grown with every passing
day, Mhysra was still uneasy. How could she feel otherwise when her
deception against her parents was still in place?

Her father knew nothing of her daytime
activities, nor did he care. Her mother was busy, returning too
infrequently to grow suspicious, but Mhysra knew that
wouldn
’
t last. The
months were passing and her exams were approaching. Even if she
managed to finish the selection school without being found out, how
was she to leave for Aquila without being missed?

“
You’
ve time left,
”
Milluqua said one evening, while Mhysra was
practising deportment by walking around the library with a stack of
books on her head. Her sister was embroidering by the fire, the
ever-growing Bumble snoozing on her feet.

“
Time,
yes,” Mhysra grumbled, avoiding a footstool and a lump in the
carpet. “But I need ideas. He’s
assumed I
’
ve given up because I
’
ve stopped pestering him.
”

“Hm.” Milluqua
yanked her thread taut. “I’m tempted to say leave without telling
him.”

Part of Mhysra agreed, but it was the weak
bit.
“
What kind of Rider
behaves so cowardly?
”

Milluqua didn
’
t answer and they continued their tasks in silence.
Until Bumble tripped Mhysra and scattered her books, causing
Milluqua to stab herself with her needle.

Lying on the floor amidst the carnage,
Mhysra fended off the puppy with a weary laugh.
“
Is this as an omen?
”

Sucking her finger, Milluqua shook her head.
“
More of a warning.
Don
’
t let Bumble take
part in any future discussions.
”

Though she laughed, the problem weighed on
Mhysra
’
s mind until she
confided in her friends. Unfortunately they happened to be the same
ones who
’
d laughed when
they found out she was Wingborn.

“Tell him,”
Corin said, leaning back to watch the Riders come in for the noon
meal.

“
Don’
t.
”
Naelya, another female student, shook her head.

“No, don’t,”
Mouse agreed. “Not yet, anyway.”

“What would
you know?” Corin grumbled, slumping as the last Rider closed the
door.

“
No need
to ruin Mhysra’s life just because
Rider Theryn
isn
’
t here,
”
Derrain teased.

Corin snorted.
“
As if telling the truth would ruin her
life.
”

“Shows what
you know,” Haelle, the fourth girl and by far the quietest,
muttered. Tall like Mhysra and even more willowy, she said very
little about herself and her family, but whenever the subject came
up she took on a hunted look. “You should keep it a secret as long
as you can, Mhysra. Trust me.”

“
But
surely it would be better to tell him herself, rather than risk him
finding out some other way,” Dhori said reasonably.
Mhysra
shared a glance with Derrain and they both shook their heads.

“
You’
re lucky someone hasn
’
t told him already,
”
another lad grumbled.
“
I only lasted a half-moon before word
reached my father.
”

“
That’
s because you
we
re supposed to be studying with the harbour
masters,
”
Naelya
reminded him.
“
And your
father is known for paying his informants.
”

“
The
only reason it took that long is because they like you down
there,
”
Corin agreed.
“
Anyway what does it
matter, you
’
re still
here, aren
’
t
you?
”

“
I might
be, but I’
ve been doing extra bookwork every night as
penance.
”

“
What I
don’
t understand is how Mhysra got in without her
parents
’
permission,
”
Mouse said,
stopping the conversation dead.

Derrain raised his eyebrows and smirked,
while Mhysra squirmed in her seat, not about to admit that her
cousin had forged her father
’
s signature.
“
I had a letter from my aunt.
”

“Mhylla
Wrentherin,” Derrain said, adding, “of Wrentheria,” in case any of
them had misunderstood her aunt’s importance.

Mhysra scowled
as the others made sounds of awe. It was bad enough being a
Kilpapan, now she had the Wrentherin name to contend with. She was
lucky her friends weren’t jealous types.

“Well, that
explains where Cumulo came from,” Corin said, her head whipping
around as the door opened. She sighed with disappointment when only
Sergeant Rees entered.

“Eyes down,
everyone,” Derrain mumbled, and the students became fascinated with
their empty plates, their discussion forgotten. Rees did not
approve of conversation at mealtimes.

16
^th
Feather

THE AIR WAS
filled
with moisture when Mhysra and her friends left the cathedral on the
second Starday in Feather month. Bidding the others farewell, she
traipsed home to change, before heading to the eyries to give
Cumulo a preen. Working beneath his wings, she listened to the pair
on the walkway and smiled. Lieutenant Stirla was often in the
eyries on a Starday and more than happy to show visitors
around.

On this occasion, however, Stirla and his
companion were already acquainted. Concealed beneath her
miryhl
’
s feathers,
Mhysra listened as the big lieutenant flirted with her sister.
Neither knew she was there, nor realised how often she had
overheard these little chats. What amused her most was that they
thought they were being discreet. While it was true each miryhl
only spoke to their Rider, those same Riders were notorious for
their gossip, and the miryhls had no qualms about sharing things
amongst themselves.

“
Humans
are such idiots,” Cumulo muttered, and at that moment she
had to agree.

“
Ho,
Riders!” a shout came from outside
.
“
Ho, miryhls! To wing! Riders to
flight!
”

Feathers rustled as Riders poured into the
eyries from all directions, their miryhls dropping down to meet
them. Mhysra ducked out from beneath Cumulo
’
s wing and pressed close to him, trying
not to get in anyone
’
s
way.

“
Mhysra!” Milluqua cried, when Stirla raced off towards
Atyrn
.
“
What
’
s
happening?
”

“
I’
m not sure.
”
Tugging her sister off the walkway, she dragged
her against Cumulo as Riders and miryhls jostled around them.

“Messenger,
what news?” Striding through the chaos, Lieutenant Lyrai was the
only Rider not scurrying for his mount, the only one currently
grounded.

“
Trouble, sir,” the messenger panted, allowing his sweating
horsat to be led away. The man was in a bad way
, bleeding
across his head, back and shoulder and down one arm. A spear was
clenched in his right fist as if he was frightened to let go.
“
East. Attack.
Raiders.
”

All activity paused as the Riders waited for
more information.

“Raiders?”
Lyrai repeated. “Of what sort?”

The messenger
’
s face was pale, his eyes wide as he breathed the
word every human on the Overworld had learnt to fear,
“
Kaz-naghkt.
”

There was silence as the eyries absorbed the
shock. Kaz-naghkt so close to Nimbys? In the east? No one had ever
heard of such a thing, not in all the years since the clouds came
and humans were forced to fly in order to survive. Kaz-naghkt came
out of the west, that was how it had always been.

Lieutenant Lyrai clenched his fists.
“
Riders to
wing!
”

Chaos resumed and within moments the eyries
emptied, miryhls leaving through the hatches, collecting their
Riders outside. The lieutenant thanked the messenger and handed him
over to an attendant, then stood alone in the middle of the
walkway, staring up at the open hatches.

Mhysra ventured out from Cumulo
’
s shadow, one hand resting against
his chest and thundering heartbeat. They knew how the lieutenant
was feeling.

Lyrai turned towards them, eyes fierce.
“
It shall not be borne.
It will not.
”
Spinning
on his heel, he left.

Mhysra
’
s fist clenched in Cumulo
’
s feathers, longing to follow the Riders.
To fight and defend. To do what they had been born for and were
training to do.

“
Is it
true?” Milluqua asked
.
“
Are the kaz-naghkt here? So close to the
city?
”

Cumulo rested his beak against
Mhysra
’
s cheek,
breathing fast with frustration. She reached up to soothe him and
glanced at her sister.
“
You heard them. What do you think?
”

Milluqua looked towards the hatches where so
many miryhls had gone.
“
I think I
a
m afraid, that this is no longer a game, and I
think,
”
she continued,
tears in her eyes,
“
that
I couldn
’
t bear to lose
you.
”

Mhysra shook her head sharply.
“
It was never a game,
Milli.
”

Her sister bit her trembling lip and nodded.
“
I know. It
’
s just
…
with all the bets and sneaking about under
father
’
s nose, it felt
like a game. It wasn
’
t
about fighting. Don
’
t
ask me what it was about, but it wasn
’
t dangerous. It wasn
’
t real.
”

“
And now
that it is?” Mhysra asked, dreading losing her sister’
s
support.

Milluqua took her hand and squeezed.
“
I could never be as
brave as you.
”

Mhysra didn
’
t know what to say, but when her sister opened her
arms, she hugged her tight.

“Whatever
happens, you will do this,” Milluqua whispered fiercely. “And
whatever it takes, I will help you. The Overworld needs every pair
of wings it can get. If that includes yours, so be it.”

IT WAS THE
hardest
thing to be left behind, while all your friends and those under
your command fought without you. Lyrai hated it. Bad enough to be
grounded, but this was almost more than he could bear.

“
What
orders, sir?” Honra asked, his uniform mussed after an afternoon
patrol spent dodging showers and basking in sunshine. Half of
Lyrai’
s flurry had been with him, the rest were already with
Stirla. A lieutenant without command, that
’
s all Lyrai was and would continue to be
for another two and a half months.

Gods, why had he been cursed with such a
flighty, brainless idiot for a bonded?

“Sir?”

Lyrai blinked and stared at the missive in
his hand. It had arrived with another messenger, one as exhausted
as the first, though without the blood. A note from Captain Myran.
A man of few words and with more on his mind than the woes of a
grounded lieutenant. His terse order was easily understood:
All.

“To wing,
sergeant.”

“
Sir!”
Honra saluted and was out of the door almost before Lyrai had
finished speaking. After serving eight years under Captain
Myran
, Honra was even more familiar with his ways than
Lyrai. He was also perfectly capable of ordering twelve men from
miryhl back. He
’
d been
doing it for months, years even, while Lyrai first learned to take
control, then lost command entirely. Thanks to Froth.